Stop mechanism for braiding machines



Oct. 13, .1931. H. 5. ROBINSON 1,827,715

STOP MECHANISM FOR BRAIDING MACHINES Original Filed Sept. 24, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 72 4 INVENTOR HARRY G, Roe/A/so/V,

. \WYM i x W ATTO R N EY Oct. 13, 1931. H. G. ROBINSON 1,827,715

STOP MECHANISM FOR BRAIDING MACHINES Original Filed Sept. 24, 192 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 HARRY 6. Roe/Nso/v,

700 lNVENTOR ATTORN EY Oct. 13, 1931. H. G. ROBINSON 1,827,715

' STOP MECHANISM FOR BRAIDING MACHINES 24, 192 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original FilggL Se t,

HARRY G,

" Rozs/A/so/V,

A'ITORN EY Patented Oct. 13, 1 931 V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY G. ROBINSON, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG-NOR TO INDUSTRIES OF AMERICA, INC., A CORPORATION DELANARE STOP MECHANISM FOR BRAIDING MACHINES Original application filed September 24, 1926, Serial No. 137,395, and in Germany and France September 9, 1927. Divided and this application filed February 20, 1923. Serial No. 255,728.

1 tersecting sinuous. paths by means of rotatin'g drivers Wlth'ClQVlCGS which hold the respective carriers against the drivers .at their peripheries through a portion of their rotation, and which release the carriers at appropriate transfer regions Where a carrier is passed. from one driver to another and is thereby carried in a reversely curved part of the sinuous path until the carrier is again transferred to the next driver of the series,

and so on throughout the system of drivers.

An object of the invention is to provide the carriers with terminal flanges adapted to beheld in recesses near the upper faces of the actuating drivers, and to be gripped therein by means carried on the hubs of the drivers, and acting to force the flanges against the under surfaces of removable plates covering therec'esses, the machine being organized to permit unusually ready removal of the carriers for purposes ofchanging the carriers or inspecting the underlying parts without undue. disorganization of the. machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine adaptable to the manufacture of a wide variety of products, including flat and tubular braids or tapes, and which can be used in the production of such different articles as flat wire tape for tire beads,

sheathingfor insulated electrical conductors and delicate ric rac in diverse patterns.

Still another object is to provide a machine which can be operated reliably at ex tremely high speeds and with a minimum of friction and noise, by operators of less than average skill.

An object of the present invention is to provide an extremely sensitive detector mechanism adapted to stop the machine quickly upon failure of the supply or upon arrival of a-defective portion ofthread, before the defer-t can result in a flaw the final product.

A further ol ject of the'invention is to provide means for applying to the thread, yarn, or other material, as it is delivered from a supply carrier or other source of supply to the braiding or other mechanism in which the material is t be used, a tension whlch Wlll be of a uniform character, the let-off arrangements being characterized by means for controlling them positively and with great sensitiveness, so that the supply will respond quickly and accurately to the demand while a uniform tension is maintained.

Certain of the features herein illustrated form the subject of claims in my Patent No. 1,693,121, issued Nov. 27, 1928, upon the copending application Ser. No. 137,395, filed Sept. 24, 1926, from which my present application has been divided, and other features are claimed in my Patent No. 1,791,286, issued Feb. 3, 1931, upon a co-pending application Ser. No. 255,727, which has also been divided from said application Ser. No. 137,395.

The above features, and others,'are illustrated and described fully in the accompanying drawings and specification and are pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a view in vertical section of a braiding machine in the construction of which the invention has been embodied, with parts shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, upon an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, detail view in vertical section, on the line 3-3 of thehead of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, detail View in vertical section, on an enlarged scale, taken, on the line ll of Fig. 2.

In the illustrated embodiment, the part designated by the reference numeral 1 is the casing adapted to enclose the actuating parts of a braiding machine, approximately circular in form and comprising abottom part 2 with side walls 8 and having brackets 1, 5 and 6 to support the horizontal drive shaft 7 which is geared at 8 to a vertical shaft 9 eX- 95 tending up through a boss 10 and provided with a spur gear 11 which constitutes the min driving gear of the braiding mechanism. A oulley 12 on the shaft 7 maybe driven by a belt 13, and at 14 is provided a Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the main driving gear 11 meshes with a spur gear 16 -upona bearing stud 17, driving the gear 16 and'driving thereby the gear 18 at one side of gear11,'and also the chain of gears 16 on the other side" which are mounted rotat ably upon hearing studs 17 in, an approxi mately circular arrangement within the casing 1, to the bottom 2 of which the studs are secured in bosses 19 by suitable nuts 20, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. i r

In pursuance of the invention, a series of carrier driver-disks is provided for actuation by -the gears 16 and l8, and of these disks there inayfbe any suitable number, eight beshown in the illustrated embodiment, numbered21 to 28, these disks being supportme'nt to their upper faces of flanged carrier members '5 to b", in the manner best understood by reference to. Fig. 4, which illustrates also a p'referredtype of braider unit generally by the reference character B. i

. The driver disks 22 to 27arefpreferab1y of substantially identical construction throughoutthe series,fand similarly connected with their respective gears 16,,so that the following description of the now preferred form of structure associated with the driver disk 22 will serve as'a descriptionof'each, V

i i V The driver 22 is preferably formed integrally. with a hub 30 coaxial'with the gear eral recesses 32 to-receive the flange 33 with which each of the'carrier nembers Z) to I) is provided, so that as each carrier flange engages Withone of the transfer disks its flange 33 enters one of these arcuate recesses 32 andfits snuglyagainst the curved wall-'31 thereof, being'embraced between the driver 22 and a ery cut away at 34; to "clear the central post or f neck 6 015 the carrier.

In pursuance of an important object of the invention,'means are provided to hold the carrier positively against the disk 22 while 'theisame rotates from the transfer point at which it receives 'the'carrier to the transfer point'at which the disk passesthe car- 7 r'ier on to the adjacent disk, where the carrier isrel'eased and is picked up by'the adjacent extending horizontally across the casing.

if i ofgtheseldogsare preferablyso formed 4 at 36. 'In this 'positionthe shoulder 43' edin such a manner asto permit the attachsupported by the carrier]; and designated 16, and is provided with four arcuate periph- 7 cover plate 22 the latter having its periph- V formed in the hub 30 of the gear 16,1the'dogs being formed with yokes in which areantifriction rollers 10 adapted to run upon a cam 11 mounted upon'a'stationaryplate 112 nular facet racks 53 and 55, of a contour respeetively adapted to force the dogs 35v and 36 upwardly into the positionishown-in Fig.

of the dog is radapted'to enter the annular groove 421withwhich the bottom of the car- 7 rier flange is provided, and serves when so engaged to' prevent displacement of the cars rier from vthe'di'sk, crowding the carrier so flange toward the curved wall-31 of the recess c 32, and at the same time forcing it firmly upward against the bottom of the plate 22 Such engagement is illustrated clearly in the instance of the similar dog 14 pivoted at d5 within a radialslot {16 in the face disk- 47, extending'from the hub 48 of driver 21, upon which disk is mountedfplate 21*, this driver being about :to transfer the carrier Z1 to. the disk 22, for whichoperation'the carrier will be releasedjbythe descent of dog 44 when its 'rollerriO runs down an incline 49 on track 50 of the cam' 51, while the pick up of, the carrier .b ris simultaneously per formed "by the dog 35 whenits roller 40- runs up the'incline 52 of the innertrack 53 of cam 41, this [double action of the dogs being practically instantaneous, so that no dwell is required, nor istherel anyshock incidental to loose motion, the-carrier being swung into reversewith a smooth, steady continuity of action which causes the machinelto operate quietly and reliably, and increases its .eiiec tivelifei- 7 s" In the particular'type' ofbraiding machine selected for illustration, the braiding vunitsare-arranged to :return upon their courseslin order to make a flat braid for which purpose the disks 21 and 28 serve'to accomplish the required change of direction, each carrier being swung around acom pletecircle by :the disk 21 and by the disk 28 at the respectiveends of'thesinuous path.

Accordingly, each of the-:disks1-21'and 28 has an extra seat :32itnd a corresponding 1 5 number of cdogs lc, and means are provided to operate each dog to pick up a carrierat thesingle transfer point, occupied by the carrier 6 in Figs. 2 and 4', and to release the carrier when the disk 21 has made a 7 complete turn, so? that one or more of the dogs 4&1 are always outof use on alternate rotations of the disk'21,-and the same is true of the'do'gs on disk28, which are identical in arrangement with those on 21. 3 I 12 A different type ofca'm motion is required to operatethe dogs as, and, as the now preferred form of .camforthis purpose, there maybe utilized a" ca'1n 51' having a single cam;

track 50 of uniform height:throughout its 1st extent except at the region of the transfer point'occupied by the carrier b (see Fig. 2) where there is a gap in the cam track, occu pied by aslide 57 having a plurality of arcuate cam track segments 49 and'59 the inc-lines of which are brought alternately into position for action, by radial movement of the slide outward and inward bet-ween the times of transfer, the rollerlO of the dog running down one incline l9 as the rotation of disk 21 brings 'the'dog 44 :near the transfer point, so that the roller 40 runs momentarily on the low path of the cam slide, and at this phase of the rotation of the driver, the dog l i-at that time passing is depressed and then its roller 40 runs up the opposite incline 49,

causing the dog 44 to engage and hold oneof the carriers 6 etc, this holding action being maintained by track 50 for one complete rotation of thedriver 21. Then the inwardshifting of the slide 57 brings one of the inclines '59 at the inner portion of the camslide into registry with 'thecircular part 50 of the cam track, and the roller 40 runs down one incline 59, allowing the appropriate dog 44 to fall and release the carrier 5 or the carrier which is to 'be. transferred to the co-operatingdriver 22 and that carrier is immediately picked up by the proper dog 35 on the driver '22, and which is swung around with the disk 22, until the transfer point to driver 23 isreached, and soon.

, As suitable means to effect'the required reciprocation of the slide '57, I'haveshown a gear 61 meshing with a gear 62 on the hub 48, and provided with a crank-pin 63 and slide-block 6 f working in a slot65 of the-siide 57, a plate 66 being fastened upon the cam part 68 to hold the :parts in assembled relation.

The ratioof the gear 61 to gear 62 is two and one half to one, so'that the-slide 57, and itsshoulders-i) and 59, makes five complete reciprocations for each two rotations ofv the disk 21; and thus each dog 44 is raised'and lowered-once upon ea-ch'eomplete rotz tion of the disk.

v This insures that each carrier shall 'be picked up by disk 12 at a transfer point and carried completely around tothe same transfer point and released for transfer after'one such complete rotation of the disk.

The disks21 and'28 may'be provided with a differentnumber ofdogs than that shown, and-thegear-ratio will'be then varied according to the Work to be-performed.

, Provision is made for automatic lubrication of the various'op'erating parts, prefer ably by the means new to be described:

The casing l'serves as a-reservoir for fluid lubricant, 70, which preferably-is maintained ata height suflicientto'reach the gears 11, '16 and 18, which accordingly derive their-lubrication directly'therefrom.

The hubs 30 and 47 are;preferab1y channelled, as at 71 and 72, to give access of the lubricant to the bearing studs 17 and 73,11nd the latter are provided with spiral channels 74, terminating in peripheral grooves 75 to which the lubricant is elevated by the rotation of hubs 30 and 48, passing from the grooves 75 to channels 76 by which it is conveyed by centrifugal force to the carrier seats 32 andthence fiowsby gravity downover'the dogs 35, 36, 44 and the cam tracks 50, 52, 53, 55 and their associated parts, including the slide 57, gears 61 and 62, etc, so that all the co-acting parts are constantly flushed with lubricant, automatically. A cover-plate 77 prevents escape of the lubricant, and also avoids intrusion of dirt, and to a large extent of fibre given ofi by some of the materials being braided.

Any fibres which may enter through such openings as may be left in the path of the carriers, will be carried by the flow of lubricant and by centrifugal force toward the walls 3 and will descend there between the horizontal plate 112 and the walls 3, a depending flange 78 on the plate providing a peripheral sump within which the fibre is felted, as at 79, constituting a filter for the lubricant, which returns thence to the central reservoir, escaping beneath the flange 78, in a purified condition, being capable of repeated use without special attention.

In pursuance of another important object of the invention, means are provided to detect any breakage of thread and cause immediate stoppage of the machine.

As the now preferred form of means for this purpose, the braiding units B are provided (see Fig. 4) with devices comprising detector wires 80 having eyes or books 81 through which are led the threads 82 as they pass from the bobbins B to the braiding point 83. These detector wires are mounted in slideways 84 upon the heads 85 of the carriers 5 etc., and each has an arm 86 extend ing inward to a plunger 87 mounted freely in acentral bore 88 of the carrier, being supported, when the thread is intact, in the position shown in Fig. 4.

If a thread 82 breaks, the detector 80 and. its plunger 87 falls, and as the carrier continues in its path, the plunger is soon brought into contact with one of a series of levers 89 (see Fig. 2) mounted pivotally at 90 upon posts disposed at intervals around the periphery of the-casing. By a system of connecting levers 91, any of the levers 89 so actuated will operate a latch92 connected with the shipping lever 15 and permit the latter to be thrown by a spring 93;thro*.ving out the clutch :14 and shutting off the power from the shaft 7.

A spring 94 holds the latch 92 in position to maintain the shipping lever normally in the spositionto which itis moved by the opto fall by breakage of a thread.

orator in startingthe machine, as shown in sired effect of stopping the machine will be s allowed [accomplished when any plunger 87' A.very sensitive stop motion is thus pro vided, and the impairment of product by flaws due to breakage of the braiding supply is avoided entirely.

The braiding units B, mayfbe of any'su'itable number and construction, and while a product of great variety and 'unusuallyperfeet quality can be secured by theluse of the l 1 braiding units shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the specific form shown by way of example is notnecesary to the carrying out of the invention-comprising the features already set forth. '1

' The braiding unitsvare eachprovided with afilling supply device and while any conv'cnient form of fi'lllng supply devicemay be 'lh 'l 'll td th used,. avedevisec ano 1 ustiae as e preferred form ofdevlce, embodying certain featuresof my invention, adeadspmdle s screwed through the plate .85 and through a threaded boss 8 extending upward from the head 'of the post 88,.being. preferably disposed eccentri'cally so as to balance to a certain extent the weight of the let-off mechanism -now. to lee-described. i

The thread from the bobbin B is led off through a tension device which COIlSlDllllltQSfiIl important feature of the invention and which comprises jaws s and s betweenwhich' the thread 82 passes, being led us already described, through the detector 81 and thence upwardjt'hrough eyes'js and 8 toward the braiding point 83, bestseenin Fig; 1. In pursuance of my invention, I provide means for causing the aws s? and 8. l3O have arelative movement whichpermits them to be dressed *ieldin l" toward each other thus l. d c; .7 9

tendingto retard the thread passing therebetween, and for this purpose, I have shown the lowerjjaw'as maintained normally pressed against; th'e'upper jaw by means of a coilsprings inter 'aosejd between the aw and the collar 8 mounted-upon apost 5 which der'iv'es its support from a socket '84aconstitut ,ingi part oft-he l platefio', asfshown in Fig'a screw sf, and when onceadjusted the. jaws s and s exert a normally. constant retardar tion of the thread '8 2 passing therethro'ugh;

'. etaining parts 7814.

The'position ofrthe. collar 5 uponthe post a may be achusted by means of a pm or sethave provided means acting at times to. cause a relative opening movement between the jaws for the purpose of releasing the thread and thus to let it off as' required forsupply of the braiding-machineor other mechanism in whichit is to be used- Such means may take anyconvenient form.

As one suitable form of construction for the purpose,'I have shown in the preferred embodiment illustrated, a lever 8 pivoted ats within a fork 8 carried by the posts the pivot being preferably formed as a bush ing through which extends a wire s bent to form a thread guide having the eye 8*, and a The thread 82 after passing through the jaws s and s and "through thedetector 8land guide 8 is e1'1-' j gaged with a hook "s termed upon the end I of the lever 8 as illustrated in the drawlng,

and passes outthrough the eye, 8 formed 7 upon the end of a guide frame s?havingup-v rig-ht members and a horizontal'bow-shaped member s whiclrenters part of the fork I e A spring s eat-ending fromthe levers to a collar 8 attached to the post 8 serves'to exert constant downward draft upon the levers and tends'to exert on the thread a constantly uniform tension, taking up any "slack rapidly and completely.

The springis not strong enough,"howover,

to interfere with ready deliveryof the thread for its intended use,*and accordingly the lever may readily be drawn up; into the posi tion shown in Fig. 4 by the action of that part 82a: 'of the thread 82 running between plungers which couples the lever s with the lower jaw 's jthe rod passing down through an, aperture 8 provided for that purpose in the jaw-8 The upperend of the rodworks in a bearing for-medby an aperture s in the fork s v The lever 8 exerts a powerful action uponthe rod owing to'the ratio, of the long arm 8} vtothesh'orter arm s and the extreme'length iof the jlever's 'gives it great ca pacity fortakmg-upslack in the thread, and

thepointIof connection of the spring near the fulcrum of the lever s has the efie'ct of causingvery rapid movements of the lever 8 and at'thesame time the leverage'ofthe' latter is sufficiently greatto permit its 013- a eraticnfeasily bythe thread without danger of'breakingthe latter. a V

The overhead structure of {the machine,

at 8 into the lower shown in Figs. 1 and-8 constitutes one desir able form ofconstruction to co-operate with the means herein describedrand claimed for actuation of the braiding units, and a-brief H designation of its parts will be sufficient to i shaft 109 and delivered for accumulation in we-ll known fashion. A hand-wheel 110 may 7 be provided to work the machine for adjustment when the power is shut off.

From the foregoing description and illustration, it will be seen that upon removal of the face plates 21222, etc., which can be effected readily by removal of the screws 29,

after moving the carriers 6 12 etc., from the face recesses 32, the latter will be exposed,

. together withv the communicating hub slots 37, 38 and" 46, containing the dogs 35, 36 and 44, so that the latter may bereadily inspected without otherwise dismantling the machine.

So also, by removing the drivers from their bearing posts, 17 etc, the cams l1 will be exposed and may be removed from the plate 112, and may be replaced by other cams to vary the character of the braiding operation, without disturbing the underlying gears 16.

The above provisions render the novel braiding machine herein disclosed unusually easy to operate and to maintain in working condition.

As a cognate advantage of the structure disclosed, it is possible to employ carriers of very simple construction, inasmuch as the only portion of the carrier contained within the operating part of the machine is the flange 33, and this terminal flange may accordingly be made of suitable extent radially to afford a broad upper bearing surface for contact with the lower surface of the face plates 21, 22, etc., and to afford an equally broad lower bearing surface for engagement by the portions 43 and 44 of the dogs, and as the latter engage the terminal flanges directly beneath their region of engagement with the driver disks, the carriers and the braidingdevices B supported thereby are firmly held for the braiding operation at all times, including the periods of transfer from disk to disk, making it possible to avoid undesirable tilting or other movements of the braiding devices relatively to the drivers. Any wear is taken by parts which are inexpensive, accessible, and easily replaced.

It is to be noted further/that the important operation of releasing the holding devices at the transfer points is accomplished by a force of a continuous nature, viz.: centrifugal force, which increases with the speed of operation, so that the disconnection is assured unfailingly; and inasmuch as the coupling of the carriers to the plates is effected positively by the action of the cams upon the dogs, the latter are not subject to failure of operation from any cause and finally the provision of bevelled shoulders upon the under surfaces of the carrier flanges makes it possible for the dogs to position the carriers with unfailing accuracy against the inner walls 31 of the peripheral recesses of the drivers.

I claim:

1. A braiding machine having rotary drivers adapted to operate upon braiding devices or carriers, actuating mechanism for said rotary drivers, and controlling mechanism therefor, said controlling mechanism comprising a shipping lever, means adapted to hold said shipping lever normally in position to permit actuation of said rotary drivers by said actuating mechanism, means to release said shipping lever to stop said actuation of said drivers, and detector means on said carriers individually adapted to actuate said releasing means, when the supply of braiding material upon a carrier is exhausted or falls to function normally, said detector means on each of the carrier comprising a centrally arranged plunger normally supported in an elevated position by the braiding material, and adapted to descend into position for engagement with the releasing means for the shipping-lever upon exhaustion of the material or failure of the material I to function properly.

2. A braiding machine having rotary drivers adapted to operate upon braiding devices or carriers, actuating mechanism for said rotary drivers, and controllin mechanism therefor, said controlling mechanism comprising a shipping lever, means adapted to hold said shipping lever normally in position to permit actuation of said rotary drivers by said actuating mechanism, means torelease said shipping lever to stop said actuation of said drivers, and detector means on said carriers individually adapted to actuate said releasing means, when the supply of braiding material upon a carrier is exhausted or fails to function normally, said detector means on each of the carriers comprising a centrally arranged plunger normally supported in an elevated position by the braiding material, and adapted to descend into position for engagement with the releasing means for the shipping lever upon exhaustion of the supply or failure of the material to function properly, and a system of levers connected with each other and with said releasing means for the shipping lever, said levers being adapted respectively to be engaged by any of said plungers upon descent of the latter.

3. A braiding machine having braiding devices or carriers and rotary drivers adapted .tQoperate upon said braiding devices orcarriers, actuating me. hanism for said rotary drivers, and'eontrolling mechanism therefor, said controlling mechanism comprising meansadap ted to permit actuation of said rotary drivers by said actuating mechanism, at times, and to stop said actuation of said drivers, at times, and detector means comprisingjcentrally arranged plungers on said car riers'individually adapted to actuate said stopping means, when the supply of braiding material upon a carrier is exhausted or 7 fails tov'function normally. I

4Q In abraiding machine-characterized as in cla-imp3, the" combination with said controlling mechanism of let-0E mechanism, comprising jaws constituting frictional means adapted to grip the thread or like material directly and thereby to retard delivery thereof, a tension device to take up slackin the material delivered from said retarding means, and connections between said' tension deviceand jaws, whereby the retarding action isvariedas the draft upon the materialvaries. v

' ,5. In "a braiding machine characterized as in claim 3, the combination with said V mechanism; means tending to cause relative controllingmechanism of let-ofi mechanism, comprising aws adapted to engage thread or sim lar material passing through said approachof said jaws for contact with said material; a lever adapted to be engaged with the material as-it passes from the jaws for use, and to be operated thereby so thatthe position of the lever is varied as the draft upon the material varies; means connecting means tending constantly to move said lever thelever with one of said jaws, whereby the lever is adapted to separate the jaws sufficiently to release the thread when the tension; of .the' latter operates the lever; and

to maintain uniform tension upon the thread. 1 6. In a braiding machine characterized as in claim 3, the combination with said controlling mechanism of let-off mechanism,

comprising jaws adapted to engage thread or similar material passing through said mech- 50 anism;. means tending to cause relative ap- .proach of said jaws for contact with said material; a lever adapted to be engaged with the material asit passes from the jaws-for use, and to be'operated thereby so that the position of the lever is varied as the draft upon the materialvaries; means connecting the lever withone of said jaws, whereby the lever isada'pted to separate the jaws sufficiently to releasethe-thread when the ten sion 'of the latter, operates "the lever; and means tending constantly to move said lever to maintain uniform tension upon the thread,

said means acting to cause the jaws to grip the threadandretard delivery of the thread therefrom; and adetector adapted to engage the thread and to be held inoperative thereby, and detector-controlled means adapted to operate upon breakage of the thread and resultant movement of; said detector device, acting to cause stoppage of the machine for [which said supply mechanism is utilized.

7. In a braiding machine characterized as in claim 3, the combination with said controlling mechanismof let-oft mechanism, comprising a pair of" jaws between which thread or similar material maybe" passed;

device to cause the lever to take up slack in the material, said movement also permitting the jaws to grip the material and retard passage of the Same therebyco-operating with said lever tomaintain uniform tension upon the material. I v v 8. In. a braiding machine characterized as in claim 3, the combination with 'saidcontrolling mechanism of a travelling supplycarrier comprising a support for a supply of thread or similar material, and in combii nation therewith a retarding mechanism mounted upon said travelling carrier adapted to grip said. thread directly and thereby to retard delivery of the material-from saio' supply, a: device vadapted to take up slack in the material delivered from saidret-ard 'ingj device, and connections between said take-up device and retarding devicewhereby operation of said take-up device'acts to vary the'operation of said retarding device as the'draftupon thematerial varies, said retarding-device and, take-up device co-operating-to' maintain uniform tension upon the material delivered.

9.]Ina braiding machine characterized as in claim 3, the, combination with said controlling mechanism of a supply-carrier, comprising a support for a supply of thread or similar material, and in combination therewith a retarding mechanism adapted to grip said'material directly and thereby to retard delivery ofthe material from said supply, a device adapted to take up slack in the material delivered from said retarding device, and connections between said take-up device and retarding device wherebyopera tion of .said take-up device acts to vary the operation of said retarding device as the draft upon the material varies, said retarding device and take-up device co-operating to iii] structure adapted for use as such in apparatus of the class described, and removable readily therefrom.

10. In a braiding machine characterized as in claim 3, the combination with said controlling mechanism of a supply-carrier, comprising a support for a supply of thread or similar material and in combination therewith a let-off mechanism comprising a pair of aws between which thread or similar material may be passed; means tending to cause relative approach of said jaws into contact with the material; a lever adapt/edto be engaged with the material continuously as it passes from the jaws for use, the normal draft upon the material being sufficient to maintain the lever in an operative position; means con necting the lever with one of said jaws and acting, when said lever is in said operative position, to separate the jaws sufficiently to permit passage of a supply of material ade quate for its intended purpose; and means tending constantly to move said lever away from said device to cause the lever to take up slack in the material, said movement also permitting the aws to grip the material and retard passage of the same, thereby co-oper- I ating with said lever to maintain uniforn tension upon the material.

11. In a braiding machine characterized as in claim 3, the combination with said controlling mechanism of a supply-carrier, comprising a support for a supply of thread or similar material and in combination there 7 with a let-off mechanism comprisin a pair of jaws between which thread or similar material may be passed; means tending to cause relative approach of said jaws into contact with the material; a lever adapted to be engaged with the material continuously as it passes from the aws for use, the normal d'ra ft upon the material being sufiicient to maintain the lever in an operative position; means connecting the lever with one of said jaws and acting, when said lever is in said operative position, to separate the jaws sufliciently to permit passage of a supply of material adequate for its intended purpose; and means tending constantly to move said lever away from said device to cause the lever to take up slack in the material, said movement also. permitting the jaws to grip the material. and retard passage of the same, thereby co-operating with said lever to maintain uniform tension upon the material, said support and let-ofl mechanism constituting a unitary structure adapted for use as such in apparatus of the class described, and removable readily therefrom.

12. In a braiding machine characterized as in claim 3, the combination with said controlling mechanism of a supply-carrier, comprising an upright support for a bobbin of thread or similar material, and in combination therewith a let-oil mechanism comprising a post provided with a pair of jaws positioned medially of the periphery of said bobbin and between which said material may be passed; a compression spring on said post tending to cause relative approach of said jaws into contact with the material, a lever fulcrumed near the upper end of said post and adapted to be engaged with the material continuously as it passes from the jaws for use, the normal draft upon the material being sufficient to maintain the lever in an operative position and a thrust-rod connecting the lever with one of said aws and acting when moved by said lever against the action of said spring to compress the same and to sep arate the jaws suiiiciently to release said material, a tension spring tending constantly to move the lever to take up slack in the material, said movement also permitting said compressed spring to close the jaws to grip the material and retard passage of the material therefrom, a detector adapted to engage the material at the region of delivery from said aws and to be held thereby out of operative position, breakage of the material permit-ting said detector device to drop, and a plunger, centrally disposed below said car rier and connected with said detector, being adapted when dropped to cause stoppage of the machine for which said supply mechanism is utilized, said bobbin support and let-off mechanism being arranged in balanced relation, and said lever being mounted to operate in proximity to the axis of said supply-carrier and said instrumentalities cooperating to deliver said material under uniform tension at a region adjacent to said axis.

13. In a braiding machine characterized as in claim 3, the combination with said contrblling mechanism of a supply-carrier, comprising a supportadapted to receive a supply of yarn or similar material in the form of a cop, and means to deliver said yarn under uniform tension.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

HARRY Gr. ROBINSON. 

